Reflections
by opaque-girl
Summary: Narcissa reflects on how she ended up getting engaged to Lucius Malfoy.


Written for the "Kiss in the rain challenge" and the "Black Challenge"

Pairing: Lucius/Narcissa

Special thanks to my beta, RoseScor90 (Check out her stories right NOW)

She sat on the enchanted swing on the grounds of Malfoy Manor and reflected how she ended up here. It was all Andromeda's fault. She was the one who had been betrothed to Lucius. And then she ran away with that mudblood filth.

Lucius had chosen her. She couldn't deny that there had always been an attraction between them since Hogwarts days, though he had been her senior. They had been good friends after Hogwarts as well, however they had had limited interaction.

_It was their first meeting after Hogwarts. There was a ball at the Parkinson Manor. She had been wearing a navy blue gown, with a simple pendant around her neck, yet she was aware of the many eyes on her. She had finally gotten rid of all those men after her whom she had been forced to dance with and now had all plans to go and sit next to a good friend, maybe Marietta Flint, and relax her now sore feet._

_"Miss Black," He had said._

_"Lucius Malfoy. It's been a long time." She had replied._

_"Yes it has been, indeed."_

_"Hmmm..."_

_"Would you care for this dance?"_

_It had taken her by surprise. After all he was betrothed to Andromeda and she had often mentioned that he was not too fond of dancing. She, however, managed to mutter a yes and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. He held her round the waist and they slowly turned and swayed to the music. Her arms twined around his neck, head resting on his shoulder. Lucius leaned his head down gently on hers and had a contented smirk on his face. He twirled her out of his grip and back in, her back to him._

Yes, there had always been an attraction between them.

_Their next meeting had been at her place. He had come to meet Andromeda. She had been lying on the sofas in one of the many lounges in the Black Manor, reading one of her father's magical books on healing potions. She always liked reading books while lying down, something which her mother considered very inappropriate for a pureblood girl of her status. He had entered the lounge without knocking and had been watching her intently for some time before she had noticed him._

_"Lucius," She had said noticing him and quickly lowered her robes, which had ridden a little upwards and sat on the sofa modestly, quite embarrassed to be caught in such a position._

_"," He had said._

_"Please call me Narcissa and have a seat. I will just go and call Andromeda..." She had begun but he had cut her off._

_"It's fine Narcissa. Let her take her time. I had informed her I would be here by 6, and its just 5 30 yet. It's me who's early." He had replied, sitting opposite her._

_"Then let me get you something to..."_

_"Narcissa, there is no need for formalities. If I require something, I will ask for it myself. Is that Healing and Dark Arts by Freud Zavor?"_

_"Yes it is," She had replied, not knowing what to say next._

_"I did not know that you were interested in potions as well. Andromeda hates potions."_

_"Lucius, you do not know me. How would you know whether I am interested in potions or not?" She found the comment rather irritating. He hardly did know her, how would he know about her likes or dislikes?_

_"I do know you Narcissa. More than you think so. You hate butterbeer. You prefer having coffee or something stronger. You are allergic to blueberries and a lot of people find that very odd. You dated Rabastan Lestrange in your fifth year but found him to be too boring. Your first kiss was a Gryffindor and you would rather die than admit it to anyone. Is that enough or do you want me to tell you more?"_

She had been stunned, shocked and surprised.

_They had then met later at a late night exclusive party of a Vincent Crabbe. She had been there with Amycus Carrow, while he had been with Andromeda. They had exchanged pleasantries and then parted ways, but she soon found herself with him, when Andromeda had left to go god knows where, and Amycus had gotten too clingy. He was an intelligent man. He had his share of women in life and he was honest enough with her to tell her that truthfully, rather than giving false images. That night, they had chatted for hours, and more than once, she had noted, he had been making flirtatious remarks towards her and more than once, she found herself reminding him, that she was not one of the girls who will fall for them. She had more brains than that. She also found herself telling him a lot of truths which she had never told anyone before, though she was mildly surprise to find out that he already knew a lot of them. It had started raining then, and she found herself mentioning how much she loved the rain. He had told her that he did not like rain much, as it had been raining the night his mother died. The pain in his voice broke her heart._

_She saw him again the next day, at Madame Malkins. She was trying on the set of robes she got for Bellatrix's dinner party when he entered. _

"_I would suggest you do not buy these robes," He had remarked from his position at the door._

"_And why not I do that?" She had asked teasingly._

_He moved from the door and stood in front of her, as if assessing her. Then leaning forward, he whispered in her ear._

"_It would tempt too many young men Narcissa. You might not remain pure after wearing these robes." He smirked when he saw that his that his comment had caused her face color to change into a deep scarlet one. But he did not know that the blush was not because of his comment, but rather of his close proximity which initiated unwanted reactions from her body. _

After that, they had met frequently. Some were coincidences, others not so much. They enjoyed each other's company thoroughly and she found that she could be herself with him. They often argued, fought, but it was all in good humor. He was snarky, she was witty. He was sarcastic, she was intelligent. Their banter might be termed flirtatious by on-lookers, but they were oblivious to it.

And then.. Andromeda ran away with the mudblood filth. She was blasted off the family tapestry and her betrothal with Lucius was dissolved. But betrothals were not easy to dissolve. They came with payments. And Lucius choose her as his payment. He may be an attractive man, an intelligent conversant, but she did not want to marry him. But she had no choice.

Suddenly, she felt the presence of someone behind her. She turned around, assuming it to be her mother, who might have come to fetch her back to the ball. But she was wrong. It was Lucius Malfoy.

"Lucius, I was just coming-" She started to say but his actions cut her off.

To her surprise, he came and sat next to her on the enchanted swing.

"Narcissa. I have wanted to talk to you about something,"

"Yes?"

"I know you. I know you feel that you are being forced into this marriage, a love-less marriage which you never wanted. But..." He could not go on. He had never been good at talking about his feelings and soon was speechless.

"But what Lucius?" She encouraged him to go on, like always. There was no denial, no explanations. He knew her well.

"But I like you Narcissa. Much more than I have ever liked any other women, including Andromeda. I promise, if nothing else, to be faithful to you forever and care for you. It might not be a love-less marriage if you give it a chance,"

He then got up from the swing and kneeled down in front of her, producing a single diamond ring from his pocket.

"Narcissa, like a true gentleman, I ask you, will you marry me?"

She looked up and saw that tiny droplets of water had started falling from the sky. She opened her hand and let one of them fall on it. She knew her decision had been made.

"Yes, I will marry you Lucius." A smile came on his face as she accepted his proposal, more real than any smile she had seen before. He slipped the ring on to her ring finger, got up, picking her up in his arms and twirled her around. Slowly, as if asking her permission, he pressed his lips onto her gently, and then he kissed her gently on the cheek and the neck. She laughed gently into his mouth as he ran his hands over her hips.

"Don't, I'm ticklish."

"I know."

- Fin -

Do review :)


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